Collating and sorting apparatus

ABSTRACT

A collation and/or sorting apparatus for groups of articles is exemplified by a sorting and/or shuffling device for playing cards. The apparatus comprises a sensor ( 15 ) to identify articles for collation and/or sorting, feeding means to feed cards from a stack ( 11 ) past the sensor ( 15 ) to a delivery means ( 14 ) adapted to deliver cards individually to a preselected one of a storing means ( 24 ) in an indexable magazine ( 20 ). A microprocessor ( 16 ) coupled to the feed means ( 14 ), delivery means ( 18 ), sensor ( 15 ) and magazine ( 20 ) determines according to a preprogrammed routine whether cards identified by sensor ( 15 ) are collated in the magazine ( 20 ) as an ordered deck of cards or a randomly ordered or “shuffled” deck.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to collation and/or sorting of groups ofarticles.

In particular, this invention relates to shuffling and sorting apparatusfor providing randomly collated groups of articles and/or collatedgroups of articles according to a predetermined order.

This invention can be utilised to collate and sort groups of articleswhich have distinguishing characteristics which can be machineidentified. However it has particular relevance to shuffling and sortingplaying cards and reference will be made hereinafter to such applicationby way of illustration of the invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the gaming industry many packs of cards are utilised and it isnecessary to shuffle one or more decks of cards for game use and/orafter each game to sort the cards into one or more packs for re-useeither in a specific order or at least into a pack of cards which iscomplete. At present this is achieved manually.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention aims to provide a collation and/or sorting apparatuswhich will operate efficiently and accurately.

With the foregoing in view, this invention in one aspect resides broadlyin collation and/or sorting apparatus including:

sensor means to identify articles for collation and/or sorting;

feed means for feeding said articles sequentially past the sensor means;

storing means in which articles may be collated in groups in a desiredorder;

selectively programmable computer means coupled to said sensor means andto said storing means to assemble in said storing means groups ofarticles in a desired order;

delivery means for selectively delivering the individual articles intothe storing means, and

collector means for collecting collated groups of articles.

The sensor means may include means to identify the presence of anarticle.

Suitably the sensor means includes means to identify one or morephysical attributes of an article.

Preferably the sensor means includes means to identify indicia on asurface of an article.

The desired order may be a specific order of a set of articles, such asa deck of cards to be sorted into its original pack order, or it may bea random order into which a complete set of articles is delivered from aplurality of sets of randomly arranged articles For example the desiredorder may be a complete pack of playing cards sorted from holding meanswhich holds a plurality of randomly oriented cards forming a pluralityof packs of cards. This may be achieved by identifying the individualcards by optical readers, scanners or any other means and then undercontrol of a computer means such as a micro-processor, placing anidentified card into a specific collector means to ensure delivery ofcomplete decks of cards in the desired order. The random numbergenerator is used to place individual cards into random positions toensure random delivery of one to eight or more decks of cards. In oneaspect the apparatus is adapted to provide one or more shuffled packs ofcards, such as eight packs for the game of baccarat.

The storing means may have individual storing spaces for each respectivearticle to be provided as the collated and/or sorted stack of articles.In such arrangement the delivery means delivers identified articles tothe respective storing spaces. This may be achieved by arranging thedelivery means with travel means movable along a plurality of axes suchas laterally to a column of individual storing spaces and verticallyalong the column.

Preferably however the storing means is arranged as one or morerotatable storage magazines and the delivery means includes a deliverycarriage movable to a respective magazine and drive means for rotatingthe magazine to operatively align a respective storing space with thedelivery carriage.

The collector means may be arranged to receive articles from the storingmeans as a collated group of articles. For example the storing means maysimultaneously release all the articles therein into the collector meanswhich may be a confining chute in which the articles settle as a group.Preferably however the collector means operates after a complete set ofarticles has been collated in the storing means and sequentially feedsthe sorted articles into one or more discrete groups.

The sensor means may be any suitable means for identifying a physicalcharacteristic of the articles to be sorted or it may comprise sensormeans for detecting and/or interpreting electromagnetic signalsreflected and/or transmitted by an article.

One form of the invention is provided as a sorting apparatus forproviding a pack of playing cards arranged in original deck order andincludes:

sensor means able to identify the suit and value of individual cards;

feed means for feeding the said cards sequentially past the sensormeans;

storing means having individual storing spaces for each respective cardof a deck of cards;

selectively programmable computer means coupled to said sensor means andsaid storing means to assemble in said storing means individual cardscomprising a complete deck or respective decks of cards;

delivery means for delivering the identified cards or collated decksthereof to pre-selected individual storing spaces, and

collector means for collecting one or more decks of cards.

Another form of the invention comprises a card shuffling device torandomly shuffle one or more decks of cards.

Preferably the storing means is arranged as one or more rotatablemagazines and the delivery means includes a delivery carriage whichreceives identified cards from the feed means and is movable along ahorizontal drive path in front of a plurality of magazines arrangedco-axially and with their common axis parallel to the drive path andwhich are rotatable together or independently by the computer means tooperatively align a respective storing space with the delivery carriage.

The respective storing spaces may include retention means adapted tocaptively hold a delivered card therein.

The retention means may comprise a vacuum clamping means but preferablythe magazine is formed as a quadrant having a lower shroud whichprevents dislodgement of the cards from the storing spaces when in aninverted position.

After collation of one or more decks, the magazine or each magazine maybe rotated to sequentially engage retained cards with conveying meanswhich conveys collated decks of cards which sequentially come intoengagement therewith to a collector means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that this invention may be more readily understood and put intopractical effect, reference will be made to accompanying drawings whichillustrate schematically one embodiment of playing card sorting and orshuffling apparatus, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus, and

FIG. 2 is a typical sectional view of the apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The collating apparatus 10 for providing sorted and/or shuffled decks ofplaying cards from a stack of cards 11 includes holding means 12 forholding the cards in a vertical column 13 above card feed means 14 whichfeeds the lowermost card of the stack past the sensor 15 which iscoupled to a microprocessor 16 to record either the presence of a cardand/or the identity of a card by its suit and value. Microprocessor 16is also coupled to drive motors 35, 36 of feed means 14, respectivedrive means (not shown) for transverse movement of each carriage 18,card transport drives 37 associated with carriages 18, magazine drives22 and drive 33 associated with unloading conveyors 31 for selectivecoordinated operation to collate packs of shuffled or sorted cards.

The feeding means 14 delivers each card past the sensor 15 to a selectedone of a pair of delivery carriages 18. Each delivery carriage 18 ismovable along a common horizontal track 19, transverse to the directionof movement of the cards from the feed means 14, and disposed in frontof a plurality of card magazines 20 arranged co-axially and with theircommon axis 21 parallel to the drive path 19. In this embodiment thereare two banks of four magazines 20 arranged in side by side relationshipat opposite sides of the feeding means 14.

Each bank of magazines 20 is driven by a motor 22 which is suitably areversible stepper motor or by a motor drive and brake system to achieveselective incremental rotation of magazines 20 to align openings 23 ofcard storing spaces 24 with delivery carriages 18 to permit a card to beinserted into a respective storing space 24.

A lower shroud 25 extends beneath the respective banks of magazines 20to maintain the cards in their respective individual storing spaces 24and an upper shroud 25 a terminating in outlet port 27 preventsinterference with what otherwise would be exposed storing spaces in theupper part of magazine 20. Shroud 25 extends from the delivery carriagesto an associated collecting tray 26 adapted to hold respective cardpacks.

As illustrated there are fifty-six individual storing spaces 24 arrangedin an upper sector of the magazine and these radiate outwardly from theaxis 21 and fill the space between the outlet port 27, adjacent anunloading conveyor 31, and the output of the delivery carriages 18.

Thus the drive motor 22 may be actuated to position any one of thefifty-six individual storing spaces 24 in operative alignment with theoutput of delivery carriages 18 while maintaining the rearmost storingspace 24 clear of the unloading conveyor 31.

Individual motors 35 and 36 control the feeding of the cards from thecolumn 13 and from the field of sensor 15 and further motors 37 onrespective delivery carriages 18 control movement of the cards thereoninto the storage spaces 24. A further motor, not illustrated, controlsthe movement of each delivery carriage 18 and may be a motor driving atransverse screw shaft coupled to the carriages or a belt drive or othermeans of driving to control their transverse travel.

In a sorting mode, microprocessor or like programmable control means 16operates to feed cards from the column 13 sequentially past the sensor15 which identifies each individual card and commits it to memory withan identification such as a number which corresponds to the sequentiallyidentified storage spaces 24 of a particular magazine 20. More than onedeck of cards can be identified and the program will select betweenthese when sorting. Thus when the cards are next fed from the column 13they will be recognised and fed to a corresponding storage space 24 in arespective magazine 20.

Once a storage space 24 is filled the next card so identified will befed to an allocated storage space 24 in the same magazine unless a cardof identical suit and value previously has been identified in which casethat card is allocated to a respective storage space 24 in one of theother magazines 20. This process is repeated until all cards have beensorted and stored.

Thereafter, the magazines are rotated anticlockwise as shown towards theunloading conveyors 31 driven in unison by motor 33 until respectiveconveyors 31 are contacted by the first card in each magazine 20 whichcard thus will be discharged to the collector tray 26. Unloadingconveyors 31 are narrow belts aligned with slotted apertures 32extending radially of the respective radial walls forming storing spaces24. The further cards in each magazine will then be sequentiallydischarged to the collector tray 26 to form packs of sorted cards.

If at the end of sorting any deck of cards is incomplete or oversupplied a warning signal will be actuated in association with that deckto indicate the incomplete or oversupplied stack of cards. By actuatingan LCD or LED display 28 this will indicate which card is missing orover supplied and will also then indicate any other deck which isincomplete or over supplied. The LCD or LED display 28 may, if requiredindicate the magazine location in which a card is undersupplied oroversupplied to form a complete deck.

It will be seen that the illustrated apparatus may have eight or more orless magazines arranged in groups of four or more or less with commonactuation of the unloading conveyor and separate operation of the motorswhich control their pivotal position.

In a shuffling mode for a single pack of cards, sensor 15 may or may notbe actuated to detect the suit and value of each card. If it is notrequired to determine the integrity of a pack of cards other thancompleteness by counting the number of cards, sensor 15 may be actuableto detect only the presence of a card as it passes from feeding means 14to delivery carriage 18.

As each card is passed beneath sensor 15 its presence is detected andmicroprocessor 16, using a random number generator, randomly allocatesthat card to a predetermined one of the fifty six storage spaces 24 ofmagazine 20. Microprocessor 16 then controls drive motors 36, 37 and 22to effect delivery of the card into the randomly predetermined storagespace 24.

When the magazine is full and up to fifty six cards have been accountedfor, magazine 20 is rotated anticlockwise to permit conveyor 31 todischarge a pack of randomly ordered or “shuffled” cards into collectortray 26.

On the other hand, if a multiplicity of decks is to be shuffled forreuse in a game such as baccarat employing like decks of shuffled cards,it may be important to produce eight individually shuffled decks and/orto determine whether cards have been removed or added to the eight deckstack of cards retrieved from the playing table.

In this case sensor 15 would be operated to determine not only thepresence of a card on feed means 14 but also the suit and value of eachcard to enable loading of the eight magazines each with a randomlyordered or shuffled deck of cards which is otherwise complete.

It will of course be realised that while the above has been given by wayof illustrative example of this invention, all such and othermodifications and variations hereto. as would be apparent to personsskilled in the art, are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambitof this invention as is herein set forth.

For example a reject mechanism 8 may be associated with the sensor 15 tocause duplicate or oversupplied cards to be rejected before delivery bydelivery means 18 to the magazine 20. The reject mechanism 8 maycomprise an electromechanical device or air blast means coupled to amicroprocessor 16.

The rotatable magazine 20 may be substituted by a verticallydisplaceable magazine or any other storage device having a plurality ofstorage spaces to receive individual cards. Similarly for otherapplications the holding means 12 and feeding means 14 may be replacedby a rotary turntable having a selectively actuable finger guide toremove articles from the turntable.

It readily will be apparent to a skilled addressee that the apparatusaccording to the invention will have an application in the collation andpackaging of cards during their manufacture to ensure the integrity ofeach set of cards produced.

Equally, it readily will be apparent to a skilled addressee that theinvention, with suitable modifications, will have wide application infields where sets of articles are to be collated and bundled in apredetermined order or in a random order or otherwise where the groupingor collation of articles by number and/or order is essential.

Such applications may include collation of book pages in the correctorder with a mixture of black and white and coloured pages fromdifferent printing presses; packaging of mixed sets of food items ie.breakfast cereal: dispensing and packaging of mixtures of pills forpatients on a daily or weekly basis; sorting and packaging of eggs orfruit by size and/or colour; sorting and collation of mail by zip code;sorting and collation of bank cheques by payee, payer or bank; collationand sorting of bank notes by denomination, condition or integrity oreven sorting and collation of doctors prescription forms to monitorinformation on patients, drug prescribed, pharmacy or prescribingdoctor.

The present invention is able to collate and/or sort articles byphysical attributes such as size, colour, shape, mass (eg. by load cellor the like) or surface indicia or any combination thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for arranging playing cards in adesired order, said apparatus including: a housing; a sensor to senseplaying cards prior to arranging; a feeder for feeding said playingcards sequentially past the sensor; a storage assembly having aplurality of storage locations in which playing cards may be arranged ingroups in a desired order, wherein the storage assembly is adapted formovement in at least two directions during shuffling; a selectivelyprogrammable computer coupled to said sensor and to said storageassembly to assemble in said storage assembly groups of playing cards ina desired order; a delivery mechanism for selectively delivering playingcards located in selected storage locations of the storage assembly; anda collector for collecting arranged groups of playing cards.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the storage assembly comprises a carouselthat rotates with respect to the delivery mechanism.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the storage assembly comprises at least eight adjacentmagazines that move vertically with respect to the delivery mechanism.4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the desired order is a random orderof cards.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the desired order is apreselected order of cards.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein thesensor senses only the presence of a card.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the sensor senses the value of the card.
 8. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the sensor is an optical reader.
 9. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the storage assembly is a vertical rack.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the storage assembly is a carousel.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the feeder is capable of withdrawingindividual playing cards from the group of playing cards and feedindividual playing cards sequentially past the sensor.
 12. An apparatusas claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor includes means to identify thepresence of a playing card.
 13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12wherein the sensor is adapted to identify one or more physicalattributes of a playing card.
 14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13wherein the sensor is adapted to identify indicia on a playing card. 15.An apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein the sensor comprises ascanning device.
 16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein thesensor is adapted to detect electromagnetic signals reflected and/ortransmitted by a playing card.
 17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1wherein the feeder is adapted to withdraw individual playing cards froma group of playing cards and feed said individual playing cardssequentially past the sensor.
 18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 12wherein the feeder includes a conveyor.
 19. An apparatus as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the storage assembly comprises one or more storagemagazines each having a plurality of storage spaces.
 20. An apparatus asclaimed in claim 19 wherein said one or more storage magazines eachinclude a predetermined number of individual storage spacescorresponding to the number of playing cards in a pack.
 21. An apparatusas claimed in claim 20 wherein individual storage spaces are selectivelyindexable with said delivery mechanism.
 22. An apparatus as claimed inclaim 21 wherein the storage assembly comprises spaced storage spacesdisplaceable along an upright axis relative to said delivery mechanism.23. An apparatus as claimed in claim 21 wherein the storage assemblycomprises circumferentially spaced storage spaces displaceable relativeto said delivery mechanism.
 24. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19wherein said delivery assembly comprises a conveyor.
 25. An apparatus asclaimed in claim 24 wherein the delivery assembly is displaceablebetween adjacent storage magazines.
 26. An apparatus as claimed in claim25 including at least two delivery assemblies.
 27. An apparatus asclaimed in claim 19 wherein said collector is adapted to collect acollated group of playing cards.
 28. An apparatus as claimed in claim 27including respective collectors for each said storage magazine.
 29. Anapparatus as claimed in claim 28 wherein the collector includes aplaying card extractor to assist in extraction of playing cards fromrespective individual storage spaces.
 30. An apparatus as claimed inclaim 1 wherein said programmable computing means includes data memoryand data storage capacity to store data relating to each individualplaying card sensed by the sensor.
 31. An apparatus as claimed in claim30 including a random number generator for randomly allocating playingcards to said storage assembly.
 32. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein thestorage assembly comprises a stack that moves vertically with respect tothe delivery mechanism.
 33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein thedelivery mechanism travels along a linear horizontal line, wherein thecollector comprises at least eight adjacent magazines that rotate aboutan axis substantially parallel to the linear horizontal line of thedelivery mechanism.
 34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the feedercomprises a conveyor.
 35. A method for sorting a pack of playing cards,said method comprising the steps of: feeding individual cards past asensor to determine suit and value of individual cards and transmittingsensor signal data to a computer; computing sensor signal data for eachrespective card and allocating thereto a predetermined valuecorresponding to the order of a particular card in a sorted pack;delivering sensed cards to a collator having an individual storage spaceallocated to a card of predetermined suit and value; indexing saidcollator with a delivery mechanism to deliver each said sensed card to arespective storage space of said collator; and sequentially removingsaid cards from said collator to form a sorted pack of playing cards.36. A method as claimed in claim 35 wherein said pack of cards comprisesone or more decks of cards.
 37. A method of shuffling a pack of cards,said method comprising the steps of: feeding cards by means of a carddelivery mechanism individually past a sensor to determine the presenceof each card and transmitting sensor signal data to a computer;computing sensor signal data for each respective card and allocatingthereto a value generated by a random number generator corresponding toa storage space in a collator; delivering sensed cards to a collatorhaving a plurality of storage spaces; indexing said collator with a carddelivery mechanism to deliver each said card to the correspondingstorage space of said collator, wherein relative motion between thecollator and card feeder is in at least two directions during shuffling;and collecting cards from said collator to form a randomly ordered packof playing cards.
 38. A method as claimed in claim 37 wherein said packcomprises one or more decks of cards.
 39. A method as claimed in claim38 wherein said sensor is adapted to determine the suit and/or value ofindividual cards.
 40. A card sorting device, comprising: a housing: aninfeed receptacle for accepting cards to be fed; a card moving mechanismfor moving cards from the infeed receptacle to a storage device; astorage device comprising a plurality of compartments for receivingcards to be sorted; a mechanism for moving the storage device relativeto the card moving mechanism to permit card placement in differentcompartments in the card storage device; a card unloading device forremoving cards from the compartments in the card storage device; and aselectively programmable microprocessor for selecting a compartment inthe card storage device to receive each card being moved and forchanging a direction of movement of the storage device during shuffling.41. The card sorting device of claim 40 further comprising a sensor forsensing cards prior to insertion into compartments in the storagedevice.
 42. The card sorting device of claim 40 wherein the storagedevice is a stack of compartments.
 43. The card storing device of claim40 wherein the storage device is a carousel.
 44. The card storage deviceof claim 40 wherein each compartment in the card storage device receivesonly a single card.